Friend –

In the wake of the latest Supreme Court term, we wanted to provide you with a quick rundown of what happened and bring into focus the fight ahead of us to protect all our rights now.

While we know there were several devastating losses for racial justice, LGBTQ rights, educational equity, and more – it's just as critical to note the substantial victories this term that will set us up to advance civil rights in our work ahead. So here are the key cases from SCOTUS this term and what you can do in the fight moving forward:

Affirmative and Educational Equity ➔

Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. UNC: The Supreme Court struck down Harvard and UNC's affirmative action programs, restricting the schools' ability to fully address systemic racial inequalities that persist in higher education.

Biden v. Nebraska and Department of Education v. Brown: The Supreme Court also struck down the Biden administration's student debt relief plan, impacting an estimated 43 million eligible borrowers. This ruling, along with the decision to restrict affirmative action programs, represent a huge blow to educational opportunity for all.

Racial Justice and Indigenous Rights ➔

Brackeen v. Haaland: SCOTUS issued a landmark victory for tribal sovereignty this term by rejecting all the constitutional challenges to the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) – requiring state courts to make active efforts to protect Native children and keep Native families together.

Voting Rights ➔

Allen v. Milligan (formerly Merrill v. Milligan): SCOTUS upheld the power of the Voting Rights Act and protected the rights of Black voters in Alabama in a case won by the ACLU and our partners at the ACLU of Alabama and the Legal Defense Fund.

Moore v. Harper: The Court rejected a radical legal theory that threatened our democracy – upholding that state legislatures do not have the power to ignore their own state constitutions while making rules for federal elections.

LGBTQ+ Rights ➔

303 Creative v. Elenis: SCOTUS ruled in this case that certain businesses have a right to discriminate when selling customized, expressive services – opening the door to any business that claims to provide customized services to discriminate against historically-marginalized groups. The decision is fundamentally misguided.

ACLU Supporter, the impact of these decisions will reverberate for generations. But the ACLU is here now and always to continue in the fight for all our rights.

Together, we can and will show up to not just restore and protect our civil liberties – but to cement and expand them in this country for good.

Thank you for being with us in this work and more soon,

– The ACLU Team